Take off with Dan Snow from inside the cockpit of an RAF Tornado as he meets the five latest F-35B Lightnings to arrive in the UK from America on 3rd August 2018.

617 Sqn RAF F-35B Lightning II aircraft to RAF Marham 2018

RAF F-35B Lightning II

RAF F-35B Lightning II

617 Sqn RAF F-35B Lightning II aircraft to RAF Marham - June 2018
In April 2018, 617 Squadron was reformed to fly the new Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II aircraft. Defence Secretary, Gavin Williamson announced the reformed squadron at an event in Washington DC to mark the centenary of the RAF.

The UK currently has fifteen F-35B Lightning II aircraft (as of May 2018) as well as Royal Air Force and Royal Navy personnel at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, in South Carolina, and also Edwards Air Force Base in California which is presently home to 17 Reserve Squadron OCU performing operational test and evaluation.

It was expected that four UK F-35B Lightning II aircraft would transit from MCAS Beaufort to RAF Marham on Tuesday 5th June 2018, although due to the weather conditions it was decided that they would cross the Atlantic on Wednesday 6th June 2018. The four aircraft (ZM145, ZM146, ZM147 and ZM148) were supported across the Atlantic by RAF Voyager tankers as well as an A400M Atlas transporter which was carrying spares, support equipment and engineers in case any F-35s had a problem and were diverted to land.

Second batch of RAF F-35B Lightning II land at RAF Marham - August 2018
Another five F-35B Lightning II aircraft (ZM140, ZM141, ZM142, ZM143 & ZM144) crossed the Atlantic and landed at RAF Marham on Friday 3rd August 2018 at about 9.30pm. The F-35s were met by a Tornado GR4 over Land's End, Cornwall which escorted them to RAF Marham in Norfolk. This brings the total number of F-35 Lightning IIs, at RAF Marham, to nine aircraft.

RAF Marham
RAF Marham currently hosts two Squadrons of Tornado GR4s (IX Sqn & 31 Sqn) and has completed significant infrastructure to support the new F-35B Lightning II aircraft. This includes a national operating centre which is the headquarters for the Lightning Force, a maintenance and finishing facility with an eight-bay hangar for engineering maintenance purposes, and an integrated training centre, which will house four full mission simulators and ground crew training facilities. The runways and taxiways have also been refurbished along with three new vertical landing pads using special high-temperature resistant concrete.

Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers
As well as the F-35B Lightning IIs operating from RAF Marham, they will also operate from the two new Royal Navy Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers. HMS Queen Elizabeth has completed her sea trials, as well as successful helicopter trials for the Merlin and Chinook helicopters, earlier this year, and will go on to have F-35B Lightning II trials when she visits the USA later this year. More information about the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carriers can be found here.

Initial operational capability for the F-35B is scheduled to be declared in December 2018 for land-based operations and the Lightning II is also to be progressively cleared for use from the Royal Navy's two aircraft carriers by late 2020.

F-35 Lightning II aircraft
The fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multi-role combat aircraft. They have been designed to perform ground attack and air superiority missions. This sophisticated aircraft has advanced avionics, sensors, displays and communication systems that collect and share data with the pilot and other friendly forces which provides unmatched situational awareness.

There are three variants including:

•Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II: A conventional take off and landing variant.

The F-35A is intended for the United States Air Force (USAF) and other air forces around the world. The F-35B will be operated by the United Stated Marines Corps (USMC) and the Royal Air Force / Royal Navy. The UK's new Queen Elizabeth class of aircraft carriers will operate the F-35B variant. The United States Navy (USN) as well as the United Stated Marines Corps will operate the F-35C on the USN aircraft carriers.

617 Squadron history
617 Squadron has operated the following aircraft throughout its history:- Avro Lancaster, Avro Lincoln, English Electric Canberra, Avro Vulcan and Panavia Tornado GR1/GR4. However, the squadron is most famous for its use of Lancaster bombers during Operation Chastise, against German dams, in the Second World War. This is why 617 Squadron is nicknamed 'The Dambusters', and has the motto 'Apres moi le deluge' which is French for 'After me, the flood'.

The squadron was formed in secret at RAF Scampton in March 1943, for the specific task of attacking three dams (Mohne, Eder and Sorpe) that provided water and power to the Ruhr industrial region of Germany.

Using 'bouncing bombs', designed by Barnes Wallis, they undertook low-level training over the dams of the Upper Derwent Valley, in Derbyshire, before attacking the actual dams, on the 16th-17th May 1943. Both the Mohne and Eder dams were breached but the Sorpe remained intact. Although the impact on industrial production was limited, the raid gave a significant morale boost to the people of Britain.

Nineteen Lancasters took part in the raid with 133 aircrew, but eight planes were lost with the loss of fifty three crew and three men survived to become prisoners of war. On the ground, almost 1,300 people were killed in the resulting flooding. The Wing Commander, Guy Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross for his part in the raid.

On the 16th May 2018, the BBMF Lancaster is expected to fly over the Derwent Dam in Derbyshire as it will be the 75th Anniversary of the 617 Squadron Dambusters operation. More information can be found here.

UK F-35B Lightning II Squadrons
As well as 617 squadron which are now at RAF Marham and 17 Reserve Squadron OCU (ZM135, ZM136 & ZM138) which is performing operational test and evaluation at Edwards AFB in the USA, future squadrons will include 207(OCU) Squadron which will stand up at RAF Marham on July 1st 2019, followed by 809 Naval Air Squadron in 2023. 207(OCU) Squadron will initially operate five to six aircraft and within about two years have a full complement of eight F-35Bs at RAF Marham.

Initial operational capability (IOC) for the F-35B Lightning II is scheduled to be declared in December 2018 for land-based operations and will be cleared to operate from the aircraft carriers by late 2020. By 2023, the UK will have forty two F-35B aircraft, with at least twenty four aircraft available for front-line service on the HMS Queen Elizabeth Carrier.

Four F-35B Lightning II aircraft arrive at RAF Marham
On Wednesday 6th June 2018 at about 8pm, four RAF F-35B Lightning IIs landed at RAF Marham.

RAF F-35B at Marham

RAF F-35B at Marham

RAF F-35B at Marham

RAF F-35B at Marham

RAF F-35B at Marham

RAF F-35B at Marham

The last six photos were taken at RAF Marham on 6th June 2018 by Matt Varley.